


Heretic

by hungrybookworm



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Action Scenes, Brief Torture References, F/F, Hostage Situation, Kidnapping, Kinda Sorta Light-Hearted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 03:01:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrybookworm/pseuds/hungrybookworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>USE IMPOSSIBLE SPELL CARDS: AMANOJAKU REBEL RUNS WILD!</i>
</p><p>Marisa has unfinished business with Seija, so when a golden opportunity to bring her to justice arrives in the form of impossible spell cards, the magician sets out to catch her before Reimu. But Seija has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, and a hostage situation soon breaks out...</p><p>Rules are made to be broken, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heretic

**Author's Note:**

> Touhou Project (c) ZUN/Team Shanghai Alice
> 
> This is rated M, but it's a very light M. I just wanted to play it safe. Please be aware that there's a few things I've deliberately not included in the tags because I feel they count as spoilers. Rest assured it's nothing upsetting, gruesome or extreme, but some people might find it a bit gross.
> 
> Based on the request "SeiMari - Are You Challenging Me? (74)" from tumblr user amemenojaku. I am never doing a fic meme without a word limit again orz.

She thought it would go away once the mini-Hakkero went back to normal. That once her greed and lust and pyromania eased, everything would be fine again. Gensokyo would be its usual, uneventful self, and she’d spend her days studying at home and lazing around the Hakurei Shrine, socialising until the sun set.

But as time passed, it became more and more obvious that Marisa’s mind was fixated on Seija Kijin.

It was getting ridiculous, to the point of total distraction. Marisa was barely aware of her surroundings, of what people were saying to her during the day, and of what she was saying back. If she glimpsed a skinny girl with black hair and a white dress, her stomach would flip over, and she’d rush to check who it was. The smell of newly cut wood would send her straight back to their first meeting, deep in that old, creaking wooden castle. Even when she was home, concentrating on her studies was futile; she’d read the same paragraph over and over, and make no progress on her notes. In the end she would spend the evening lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if she should look into memory loss magic. When she closed her eyes, she saw Seija’s ugly face sneering back at her. Her smug smile as she tossed out another wave of danmaku.

Even her dreams were full of Seija. Full of them throwing bullets in nausea-inducing, upside-down duels, of them snarling and wrestling with each other, and running arm-in-arm through the Forest of Magic. Full of Seija promising power and wealth and endless glories, wrapping an arm around Marisa’s waist and pulling her closer. Marisa was always tempted, and always struggling to say no. Her dreams used to end with her pushing Seija away, her body solid beneath her palms, the temptation to grip her dress and yank her close always there. 

But these days, Marisa wasn’t as strong. She’d give in and lean against Seija, feeling white cloth rub against her skin, and cold lips press against her ear. Sometimes they’d go further than that. Sometimes Marisa would wake up sweating, the phantom taste of skin on her tongue.

It was all because of that evening a few weeks ago. The evening after Marisa beat the inchling, and solved her first incident in a while. She’d returned home and fallen asleep as the sun rose, and woken up with an unquenchable thirst for power. Seija had suddenly shown up in her house, and together they’d ran through the Forest of Magic, blasting everything in sight with the corrupt mini-Hakkero while Seija talked about all the amazing things the Miracle Mallet could do, and what their revolution could achieve if Marisa joined them properly. Marisa couldn’t remember much about their time together, honestly, just the deep satisfaction of watching things burn, and how nice it could be if she scorched Seija’s dress a little. Maybe just enough to get a few holes, and redden the skin underneath.

In the end, they went too far. They’d tried to set Alice’s vegetable patch on fire, and half an hour later Reimu appeared, in one of the worst moods Marisa had ever seen. Seija ran away, Marisa lost the resulting danmaku fight, and had her mini-Hakkero promptly confiscated. Reimu then searched for Seija, found the Shining Needle Castle, beat both her and the inchling, and took all the credit for solving ‘the incident’.

Marisa had never felt so humiliated in all her life.

So it was only natural, of course, that when a tengu newspaper came sailing through her window at five in the morning, bearing the headline: _USE IMPOSSIBLE SPELL CARDS: AMANOJAKU REBEL RUNS WILD!_ , Marisa almost tripped over herself climbing out of bed, pulling on whatever clothes she had nearby, and kicking her front door open without even reading the article. She had to do this before Reimu. Before anyone else. Before she went completely mad.

Seija Kijin was hers to bring to justice, and hers alone.

*****  
Marisa spotted her as the sun sank beneath the horizon. A deep, purple glow covered the clouds, and the surrounding cherry trees shook in the wind. She watched as a chequered figure sprinted up the Netherworld’s grand staircase, taking two steps at a time. That was definitely Seija. She gazed at her for a moment, exhilarated, excited to finally face the girl invading her mind. Maybe things would go back to normal after this, at long last. 

No point dawdling. Marisa had no idea where Reimu and the others were, or when they might show up. She pushed down on her broom, and yelled at the top of her lungs: “Hey, you dumb amanojaku! Over here!”

She saw Seija stumble, then stagger to a stop. Marisa braked a few metres above her. “Remember me?” She held out her mini-Hakkero, letting it shine in the purple light. She’d found Seija, part one of the plan was complete. “You’d better; I’m told I’m pretty unforgettable.”

Seija turned around, and glared at her. Marisa could see her properly now, and noticed that her outfit was a weird mishmash of various accessories: an ugly chequered cloak, a small toy camera swinging around her neck, a wooden mallet grasped in one hand... There were bags under her eyes, and cuts and bruises criss-crossed up her arms. Youkai healed faster than humans, so Marisa assumed her injuries were very recent. Seija’s shoes were also missing, her dress was ripped and frayed at the edges, and the brilliant white cloth was stained red, brown and yellow.

All in all, Seija was a mess. But she smiled once she recognised Marisa. A cocky, confident smile.

“I was waiting for you to show up,” said Seija. “Still relying on that useless lump of metal?” She pushed back her cloak, and revealed more items tucked into her belt. “It’s just a toy without the mallet’s power. That thing won’t even tickle if it hits me.”

Marisa laughed at that. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Talking to her was easier than she’d feared. That was one less thing to worry about. Something caught her eye on the belt too. “Are those my magic bombs?”

“These?” Seija plucked one off, and tossed it up in the air. “Like I can remember.” She caught it, and her smile widened. “I think I got them from a landfill site.”

“Hey now, that’s my house you’re talking about.” Marisa reached into her pocket, and pulled out a single spell card. Part two of her plan was almost in motion. “How about you hand those over? And yourself, while you’re at it.”

 _Use impossible spell cards._ Everyone had a stack of reject cards lying around that technically passed the rules, but were too unsporting to be used in a real danmaku fight. Opportunities to try them out were few and far between. Marisa wasted no time holding hers up in the air. “One card!”

“Zero!” Seija poised a hand over her belt. “Come at me!”

Someone had a lot of confidence. Declaring zero spell cards meant Seija would lose the moment she got hit. Was it a bluff? Only one way to find out. Marisa aimed her mini-Hakkero, muttered a quick incantation, and declared: “Love Sign: Wide Master!”

Light exploded across the staircase. Marisa glimpsed surprise on Seija’s face for an instant, but seconds later she was out of sight. Did she get hit? No, there she was again, just to the left. Marisa dug into her pockets and scattered star danmaku in a wide circle. Seija grimaced and moved back a little, waiting for a gap in the bullets to appear. She was distracted. Perfect. Marisa swung her mini-Hakkero around, and shot another wide spark to the left.

But Seija was gone again. Confused, Marisa glanced over her shoulder, and noticed her… standing behind her? She couldn’t have moved that quickly, could she? She saw Seija shove a pink umbrella into her belt, then snatch out what looked like a small, Japanese doll.

Where did she get that from? Marisa recognised it – it was one of Alice’s iffy prototype dolls. They were made for experimental purposes only, and Marisa struggled to remember what that particular model did. Seija placed it on the steps, then ducked under the next wave of star danmaku. This was bad. There was still a good seventy seconds before the card timed out. Marisa couldn’t change tactics while the card was in use. She could break it herself in an emergency, but that would count as her loss. Letting Seija walk free wasn’t an option. She snarled in frustration, and aimed her mini-Hakkero at… the doll? The surprise registered on her face, and she heard Seija cackle.

She cackled right into Marisa’s ear.

The wide spark was locked onto the doll. Marisa couldn’t pull her mini-Hakkero away from it. She couldn’t drop it, not if she wanted to win this fight. Panic set in. Losing suddenly became a real possibility. Before she could grab more star danmaku with her free hand, Marisa heard the sound of something hard and heavy move through the air.

Pain exploded through her right shoulder. 

Marisa yelled, and the mini-Hakkero slipped out of her hand. Seija dashed to the side, and Marisa saw her raise the mallet again. She didn’t have time to flinch, let alone move out of the way. She heard the furnace hit the staircase, and felt another hard, heavy blow smash into her back.

It hurt way more than danmaku. The pain made Marisa’s vision wobble, her broom slipped away from under her, and she fell sideways. She twisted over in mid-air, and her knees and palms collided with the edge of the stone steps. Her hat fell away in the impact, tumbling over the edge and into darkness.

There was a sickening crack as her spell card ended. It was all over. Seija had won, Seija the filthy cheater. Physically hitting your opponent in a danmaku fight was one of the lowest things you could do. Marisa was furious, but knew she didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself. She had to get back on her feet and up in the air, before Seija escaped. Her knees hurt like crazy, and there was blood on her palms. Her arms shook as she tried to push herself upright.

She felt a foot land on her back, and push her back down. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Marisa looked up, and saw Seija sneering down at her. Her face was red, and black strands of hair stuck to her cheeks. “Was that the best you can do?” she asked. “Number two in Gensokyo and that’s it? I could capture that with my eyes closed!”

Marisa tried to smile. Getting angry was what Seija wanted, after all. “You surprised me.”

She felt the foot push down harder. “You’re a joke,” said Seija. “I can’t believe I thought about recruiting someone as weak as you. You’d be better off as breakfast.”

“Sorry, but I’m all stringy and stuff.” Marisa glanced around the best she could, but her mini-Hakkero was nowhere in sight. “I’d give you a stomach ache.”

Seija laughed, and twirled the mallet in her hand. “Regretting it?”

“Regretting what?”

“Not joining me?”

Marisa hoped the rush of emotion wouldn’t show on her face. “About as much as I regret beating you up the other month.”

“We could’ve taken over Gensokyo together. Look at me now, I’m unstoppable! I’m all set to take over this miserable little place, and you’re down on your hands and knees like a beggar.” She stomped on Marisa’s back once or twice, pushing her against the edge of the steps. “That half-ghost and the maid showed up before you, and I barely had to lift my finger. Beating you took even less effort!”

That hurt, both physically and emotionally, but Marisa found herself laughing. The longer Seija lingered to mock her, the more opportunities she had to capture her. “No one’s really scared of you, you know.”

Seija snorted. “Yeah right. My first new rule will be an all-you-can-eat banquet at the Human Village. I’ll bring you along to watch.”

Marisa shuddered. Damn, there was no way Seija wouldn’t notice _that_. “Nobody thinks you’re a real threat. You’re just a rebel with a few gimmicks up your sleeve.”

“If that’s true then how come none of you’ve managed to stop me yet?” Seija slid her foot up Marisa’s spine, slow and soft to match her voice. “You should’ve joined me, Marisa Kirisame. We could’ve ruled Gensokyo together.”

“Yeah right.” She needed to find an opening. Something to turn the tables. “Listen Seija, no one’s scared of you. If people were, they wouldn’t be playing around with danmaku. The vampire’s maid can stop time, remember? She would’ve just pulled out her watch and carted you off to a prison cell while you were frozen.”

That had an effect. Seija stopped stroking her back, and looked down at her curiously. “If I’m no threat, then why did you come running after me, Little Miss Youkai Exterminator?”

She couldn’t have asked a worse question. Marisa’s lips groped for an answer, but nothing but uncomfortable truths flowed into her mind. _Because I didn’t want Reimu to beat me to it again. Because I want to punch you in the face. Because I wanted to see you again, no matter what. Because I might finally be free of you. Because I crave you more than anything._ “The same reason everyone else did,” said Marisa, smoothly. “There’s a pretty sweet reward on your head.”

“You paused,” said Seija. “Tell the truth.”

“Fine. Everyone’s having fun trying out their impossible spell cards and I wanted in on it. Nobody’s taking you seriously. I was in the village yesterday, and they were all having a good laugh about you. Even the humans think you’re a joke.”

“Oh?” Seija’s voice grew cold. Marisa’s ploy was finally working. “Do they now?”

“Yeah, you’re the loser rebel whose gonna get boiled in a pot once the youkai sages get their hands on you. They bought in one from Hell just for you, and they’re gonna do it on a big stage so everyone can watch.” All lies of course, but Seija didn’t have to know. “Whoever catches you will have the honour of lowering you in it, among other things.”

“Oh I see. I see how it is.” And a cruel smile floated onto her face. Seija reached up, and undid the blue sash around her neck, just below the chequered cloak. “I suppose I need to give them another reason to fear me, then.”

Marisa’s instincts screamed at her. It was now or never. “Not if I capture you firs-!” But Seija pounced on her before she could finish her sentence. “Hey!” They wrestled for a moment, rolling unnervingly close to the edge of the staircase. But Seija was a youkai. It was obvious who would win in a physical fight. “What the hell?” Marisa struggled, fearing the worst. “Get off me!”

Seija yanked Marisa’s arms behind her back, and tied the sash around her wrists. Marisa yelled and spat, and squirmed as hard as she could, but it was too late. “Shut up,” the amanojaku snarled. “You’re squealing like a pig.”

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“Taking a hostage.” Seija giggled. The sash dug into Marisa’s wrists. “Maybe they’ll take me seriously if I’m carting around a poor, defenceless human with me.”

“Kidnap some kid if you want a hostage. Let me go!”

“Fine, I’ll gag you if you won’t shut up.” She heard the sound of cloth ripping. “Hold still.”

“Wait!” But the cloth covered Marisa’s mouth before she could say anything else. It was a piece of the chequered cloak. “Mnn!”

“Peace and quiet at last.” She slung Marisa over her shoulder like a bag of rice. “We’d better get going, before someone else shows up. If you do anything to slow me down, I’ll tie your arms and legs up too and drop you from somewhere, okay?”

Marisa struggled. Her arms were tied fast, but her legs were still free. She tried to kick Seija as hard as she could, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Her shoes bounced against Seija’s torso harmlessly. “Hah, that tickles, you know,” she said, and they took to the air, leaving Marisa’s broom, hat and mini-Hakkero far out of reach.

*****  
She’d messed up. Marisa spent the next few minutes furious at herself, the blood literally rushing to her head as she hung upside down. Why hadn’t she just lunged at Seija the moment the amanojaku paused to talk to her? What made her think it was a good idea to bide her time and let Seija rub her stinky feet all over her back?

Her head wasn’t right. It hadn’t been right for weeks. The sooner she got out of this mess and brought Seija to justice, the better. Right now she was staring at the moonlit scenery below them, Seija with an arm around her waist, the cloak rubbing against Marisa’s nose. Her forehead occasionally smacked into the items jutting out of the belt. Seija stank of sweat and mud, but the cloak had this foreign musty smell that Marisa couldn’t pin down. Probably the scent of its previous owner.

Time passed. She could tell from the way the shadows moved in the moonlight. She’d given up kicking a long time ago, and her attempts at loosening her bonds had all ended in failure. Seija had done the right thing in binding her hands and gagging her – she couldn’t cast any spells like this. Any hope of Seija getting fed up and dumping her was also fading fast. All she could do was bide her time. Youkai got tired too, eventually. Seija would need to stop for a rest at some point. Maybe she’d need the toilet or something. Did amanojaku pee, actually? The world was full of mysteries. 

Reimu was going to show up eventually. Any minute now. Marisa could think of nothing more humiliating than her friend seeing her draped over Seija’s shoulder, bound and gagged, her arse up in the air. Seija was making an effort to shake off potential pursuers, at least. She zigzagged, retraced her steps, alternated between moving above and below the staircase, and occasionally switched to running instead of flying (making Marisa’s head bounce painfully against her back). She rarely moved in a straight line.

Marisa wished Seija would turn her over, so she could at least see the stars.

“Stop right there!”

Seija jerked to a halt. Marisa’s stomach swooped in horror, but it wasn’t Reimu. The voice was too soft.

“You’re that amanojaku, aren’t you?” Sanae. Unmistakably Sanae. “I hope you’re ready to pay for your crimes, as the… um…” She paused. “Are you carrying someone?”

Marisa felt Seija laugh. “Maybe? Recognise this backside?” A hand squeezed her buttock, and Marisa wriggled and kicked in response. “I hope you do. Apparently she’s _pretty unforgettable_.”

Sanae gasped. “Marisa-san!?”

“Gensokyo’s youkai exterminators aren’t up to much. I beat up a half-ghost and a maid earlier. Piece of cake.”

“Let her go, you monster!”

Marisa squirmed more, trying to see what was going on. She felt Seija’s grip on her waist tighten. “And why should I?” she asked. “The only place junk like you belongs is in my larder. I’m gonna dine on some magician steak tonight.”

“No!”

Sanae was falling for Seija’s crap hook, line and sinker. Marisa almost felt embarrassed. She tried to kick harder, hoping it’d transmit some kind of message to Sanae. _Beat the shit out of her!_ or something.

“How could you do something so cruel? Marisa-san, can you say anything?”

“Don’t bother, I’ve gagged her. All trussed up ready to be roasted on a skewer. Fancy joining us?”

“A villain like you will break even the most basic rules. I’ll bring you to justice! One card!”

So much for that. Marisa’s mind raced, trying to think of a way to take advantage of the situation. Maybe Seija would toss her aside during the fight or something, giving her more freedom. She wouldn’t mind sharing part of the glory with Sanae if it came down to it. As long as it wasn’t Reimu.

Seija tensed up below her. “Zero!” And she moved, dashing backwards to gain distance. 

Marisa heard Sanae declare her spell card: “Snake Sign: Green Snake, Come On!” and in the corner of her eye, she saw a long green bullet slowly curl towards them. All hopes of Seija tossing her aside were quickly lost. The amanojaku really was going to fight with just one arm free. Was she trying to show off? Well, if she wasn’t going to let Marisa go, there was only one thing for it.

Marisa squirmed and kicked as violently as she could.

“Hey, behave!” Seija snarled, and spun around. Marisa caught a glimpse of five, no six fat bullets, curling into circles barely a metre apart. Sanae stood amongst them, her face pale as she stared straight at Marisa. Her eyes widened when she saw the gag, but she quickly recovered, and tried to give a reassuring smile.

“Do you want me to hurt you? _Shit!_ ” Seija dashed to the right. Marisa squinted as a green bullet swerved unnervingly close, crackling with magic power. She could feel its heat against her cheeks. “That nearly hit us!”

 _Good!_ Marisa could feel Seija’s breath quickening, and her arm shaking a little. The heat intensified, and green light filled her vision. One of the snakes was curling around them, barely leaving room for both of them. Marisa squirmed harder, sensing an opportunity, biting down on the gag. She felt one of her shoes slip loose, and fall away. If she could make Seija take her eyes off the bullets for one moment, maybe move in the wrong direction…

“Fine, if you’re gonna be that way!” Seija pulled Marisa off her shoulder. So she was going to toss her aside. Perfect. Marisa got ready to fall, confident she could right herself and float before she broke her neck. 

But instead Seija lifted her, and pointed her straight at Sanae.

Sanae screamed. Marisa gave a muffled yell as Seija threw her, and they collided, her shoulder smacking into the pit of Sanae’s stomach. The spell card collapsed around them. A hit was a hit after all; even living things counted as bullets in a danmaku fight.

Seija mixed in with the crumbling lights and swooped in, snatching Marisa up before Sanae could react. Then they disappeared into darkness, leaving Sanae to scream. “Marisa-san! Marisa-san!”

“I should’ve let you break your neck,” hissed Seija. Her nails dug into Marisa’s side as she shifted her back over her shoulder. “Try that again and I really will turn you into steak.”

Marisa kicked her. Sanae’s fading danmaku was barely a pinprick in the distance. Then that too, flickered out, and they were alone again.

*****  
They left the staircase soon afterwards, Marisa’s ears popping as they drifted back to solid ground. There was no sign of Sanae pursuing them, or of anyone else, really. The night air was cold and empty, and unusually quiet. Seija was more cautious than before, darting between trees and bushes whenever a cloud moved over the moon. Youkai were more active at night, she had reason to be concerned.

Marisa was exhausted, hungry, and desperate for a drink. Her head hurt from hanging upside down for so long. She vaguely remembered reading somewhere that it was dangerous for humans to stay like that for longer than an hour or so. Maybe less time had passed than she thought.

How long was this whole hostage thing going to last, anyway?

“Listen.” Seija spoke for the first time in a while. “We’re camping here.”

Marisa was slung off her shoulder, and sat down on a thick, sturdy branch. She felt woozy for a few moments, her head trying to adjust to being upright again. They were halfway up a tree in the middle of a small wood. It still held most of its autumn leaves, so they were partially shielded from the moonlight. It was flimsy cover, but better than nothing.

Seija slumped down against the trunk, and sighed. She pulled a flask out of her belt, and unscrewed the cap.

Marisa glared at her.

Seija poured water into the cap, looking back at Marisa with a smile. She made a big show of putting it to her lips, and drinking from it, not breaking eye contact with her the entire time.

 _How did I get so obsessed with this asshole?_ thought Marisa.

“Ah, delicious,” said Seija. “What’s wrong, Marisa Kirisame? You look like you want to say something. Oh right, you’re gagged. You can’t say anything. What a pity.” She shrugged. “I suppose I’ll have to drink this nice, refreshing water all by myself.”

Seija refilled the cap. Marisa briefly considered waddling along the branch to head butt Seija in the face. But she stayed put, trying not to get too worked up. Reimu still hadn’t found them. Marisa still had a chance.

“Did you see the look on that shrine maiden’s face?” Seija spoke again after finishing her drink. “Total disgust. Bringing you along was a good idea.” The moonlight lit up half of her smile, warping it. “Maybe I should give you a reward.” She tucked the flask back in her belt, and shuffled forward. “Scream and I’ll rip your tongue out.”

Marisa tried to move back, unsure if she’d like this ‘reward’, suddenly aware of just how vulnerable she was gagged and tied up, but Seija just reached behind her head, and undid her gag.

Marisa immediately spat in her face.

“Urgh, disgusting!”

“Let me go!” yelled Marisa.

“I told you not to shout.” Seija grasped her chin with cold fingers, and glared at her. “I follow through with my threats; this is your only warning.”

“You’re sick in the head!”

“Of course I am, I’m an amanojaku. And you,” she whispered, “are completely at my mercy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Marisa regained her smile. “So is this my reward? Letting me talk back?”

“Your lips are dry,” commented Seija.

Marisa blushed. “Obviously. I haven’t drunk anything in ages.” She glanced at the flask. “If you’re gonna take a hostage, you need to take care of them, you know. Us humans die pretty easily.”

Seija snorted. “Weak.” But she let go of Marisa’s chin, and pulled out the flask again. “In that case I suppose I should give you a drink, as fun as watching you beg for water as you die of thirst would’ve been.”

“Amanojaku are so morbid. You need to cheer up a bit.”

“Don’t worry, I know exactly how to cheer myself up.” Seija poured water into the cap, paused, then lifted it to her own lips.

“Hey, come on,” said Marisa, but Seija wasn’t drinking it. She swirled the water around in her mouth, then spat it back in the cap.

“There,” said Seija, holding it out to her. “I purified it for you.”

Marisa stared at her.

“What? Not gonna drink it?”

“I’m not your play thing,” muttered Marisa. But she leant forward, and put her lips to the cup anyway. Seija looked surprised, but tipped the cup back, letting her drink from it.

“Kinda warm,” said Marisa, licking her lips afterwards. “I’ve had better. Seconds?”

“Uh.” Seija was thrown off. This was the first time Marisa had seen her look genuinely confused. A small victory. “Seconds? Well, fine then.”

She poured more water into the cap, put it to her mouth, swirled it around… but she didn’t spit it back out. She hesitated for a moment, then lunged forward, grasped Marisa’s face with both hands, and pressed their lips together.

Marisa whimpered, surprised. Most of the water poured down her front. She opened her mouth, trying to catch the rest, unable to ignore the brush of Seija’s lips and tongue. It was a kiss. She was kissing Seija Kijin. All the anxiety, the obsession, the fixation in her mind melted away. This is what she’d wanted. This is what she’d needed. This was the thing her mind had craved more than anything. Finally.

Of all the things it could’ve been, why did it have to be _that_?

Seija pulled away seconds later, horrified. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” said Marisa. She leant forward again, trying her luck, but Seija scuttled backwards. “What, don’t like kissing me?”

“You’re not supposed to enjoy it!” Seija looked genuinely disgusted. “You freak!”

“I can hear voices over here!”

“Where? Show me, Shinmyoumaru.”

Terror flashed across Seija’s face, and she scrambled out of the tree. “Wait!” yelled Marisa, but she was gone in seconds, leaving Marisa alone on the branch. “Wait, Seija!”

“Marisa?” Reimu appeared, hovering in mid-air. Shinmyoumaru was right behind her, human-sized, clearly worried. “Marisa, is that you?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess…” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. Though seeing Reimu look worried was a rare sight. “What’re you doing here? I was in the middle of an undercover operation.”

“Sanae-san said Seija was going to eat you!” cried Shinmyoumaru. “Where is she? Seija! Seija!”

“Are you tied up?” asked Reimu, stepping onto the branch.

“Seija just ran off,” said Marisa. Her heart sank. So much for bringing her in. “I would’ve had her if you hadn’t barged in and interfered.” She felt Reimu untie the sash around her wrists, and was tempted to push her aside and make after Seija. “You messed up my plan.”

“Where did Seija go?” asked Shinmyoumaru. “Do you know?”

“No idea.” Marisa rubbed her free wrists, and sighed. “She’s gone now. Oh well.”

“Reimu-san, I’m going to look for Seija.” Shinmyoumaru took off, not waiting for an answer. “Seija! Seija!”

Reimu looked at Marisa, dubious. “We bumped into Sanae an hour ago. She was convinced you were about to become dinner.”

“Yeah, Seija wound her up a bit.” Marisa got to her feet, and realised she was shaking all over. “I got her back for it, don’t worry. She wasn’t gonna eat me.”

“I doubt you’re worth eating anyway,” said Reimu. “Not with so many hermits wandering around these days.”

“Yeah.”

She sighed. “Spell card rules one minute, threats of eating humans the next. I hope that amanojaku doesn’t inspire copycats. Gensokyo can’t function without rules.”

“Yeah…” said Marisa. “That’s true.”

Reimu didn’t have to know.


End file.
